So you bought a brand new HTC One (M8) and you noticed two camera lenses on the back. What can you do with them? You can actually do a lot of things with them, and the video below walks you through everything. The main lens is the same UltraPixel 4MP lens that appeared on last year’s HTC One (M7) and the other smaller lens is 2MP, and is used for depth. This setup allows you to apply different effects to your photos such as changing focal points (Ufocus), applying effects to just the foreground or background (Foregrounder), adding fun clothing accessories or snow, and even copying a person out of one photo and pasting them into another photo (Copy & Paste).

In this video, I will show you how to use each and every one one of these features. Now I must stress that in order to use these features, you must be in the basic Camera setting. It will not work when any special effects are applied or if you used the zoom. It won’t work in Zoe mode either. So if you’re a Zoe fan like myself, you will have to know beforehand that you want to implement one of these effects, and switch back to the basic Camera setting.

Okay, it’s time to learn about some of the cool tricks you can do on the HTC One (M8), so hit the break to find out how to make your photos look a little more stunning than they already are.

HTC’s BlinkFeed was first introduced on the HTC One (M7), so it’s no surprise that it found its way onto the HTC One (M8). BlinkFeed helps you keep track of the news that matters to you. Just like other apps such as this, you can also follow social networks and app data such as your calendar.

HTC makes it very easy to add content. Just tap on the action menu and you will see all the sources you are following. You can easily add content by category or by site. Unfortunately, it’s not so easy to add content that isn’t part of BlinkFeed’s pre-selected sites, but it can be done. The good news is that HTC does offer a decent variety of stuff.

In this video, I show you how to setup BlinkFeed with pre-selected sources, how to add sites that aren’t already included in HTC’s curated list, and how to turn off BlinkFeed if you so wish. So what are you waiting for? Hit the break to get started.

With every major phone, HTC always releases the next version of Sense along with it. This time around, with the HTC One (M8), it’s Sense 6 or “Sixth Sense.” If you’re new to HTC phones, Sense is HTC’s proprietary user interface, or skin they install on top of Android. It has evolved a lot over the years, but they haven’t changed it all that much since Sense 5. That is a good thing because consumers like consistency.

HTC did make a few enhancements with Sense 6, and they appear to be for the better. In this video, I walk you through the UI and explain how things work. I won’t get into BlinkFeed or the Camera interface in this video, but I will very soon. For this guide, I wanted to concentrate on the essentials of the main UI, and help you get comfortable with it. So hit the break and find out everything you need to know about Sense 6 on the HTC One (M8).

The Play Store apps are only visible to the HTC One (M8) and a few other HTC devices, but he downloaded them and made them available for you to install as third-party APKs. This includes the HTC Service Pack, BlinkFeed, SenseTV, Zoe, the Gallery, and the Music app. For now, only the Service Pack, Zoe and SenseTV works. You will need to also install the libs and framework files for Zoe. He does have the libs and framework files for the Gallery, but the app isn’t functional at the moment. Also, BlinkFeed can be opened, but the feeds won’t load.

HTC’s Butterfly S, their flagship for markets overseas, is starting to receive the Android 4.3 update with Sense 5.5. MaximusHD ROM developer LlabTooFer tweeted a screenshot indicating that he has received the massive update. Included are Video Highlights improvements with a new interface, BlinkFeed adjustments to broaden its capabilities, Music interface improvements, and Sense TV improvements that also receives a facelift. The version number is 2.21.708.1 meaning that this is for the Bufferfly S in Hong Kong. The update is almost 750MB, so make sure you have enough space. Let us know how it feels after you finish installing! Read more

If you have been worried that the continual gains in computing horsepower in smartphones was reaching the point of uselessness, you can breathe easier as Disney Research has discovered a new technology for touchscreens that will surely chew up computing cycles. The team in Pittsburgh has created a way to communicate tactile information creating a sensory illusion of 3D objects or textures when a user is touching a screen. Read more

The MoDaCo.SWITCH ROM allows HTC One users to effortlessly switch between stock Android and HTC Sense with the touch of a button. The best part is that the ROM uses a single set of user data so all of your apps/information/etc. are available on both UI’s.

Now that “beta 8″ is available to the public (only on the GSM HTC One) you can go and grab it below if you’re familiar with the flashing process.

MoDaCo is also working on a project to bring their ROM to the Galaxy S 4 using an Indiegogo project to raise $1500.

Do you have an HTC One and want to try out stock Android, but aren’t willing to take the plunge and lose Sense? Well, popular modder Paul O’Brien is at your service, as he is developing a new feature called MoDaCo Switch, which will allow users to seamlessly switch between HTC Sense and stock Android. Via the image above, you can see just how easy it will be to switch.

The feature is a work in progress, understandably as it must be difficult to load two full operating systems and the ability to switch into a ROM. You’ll need to be rooted, and run the MoDaCo ROM on your One for this to work.

With HTC’s latest Android flagship in the HTC One X+ finally being unveiled today, TELUS wasted no time in confirming the arrival of the device for the network. The One X+ will offer a powerful 1.7 GHz quad-core Tegra 3 processor, the same 4.7-inch 1280 x 720 display, and has an 8 megapixel camera on the back. The One X+ will also offer Android’s 4.1 Jelly Bean software with Sense 4+ right out of the box.

So far no other Canadian network has announced the availability of this device, but well let you all know as soon as we find out. Any TELUS users excited for this device?

This is certainly interesting and something I wasn’t expecting. It looks like HTC’s supposed upcoming 10 inch tablet may have found its way out into the public with several leaked photos. The design definitely looks interesting and something new compared to the other Android tablets that are currently out. The tablet offers a very slim design and a thicker bezel at the bottom where the front facing camera resides. It also looks like it’s running HTC’s Sense interface, although it may be a Sense that’s been made for tablets.